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Martin MacDonald conductor Martin MacDonald recently concluded a celebrated three-year term as Resident Conductor of Symphony Nova Scotia from 2008-2011, where he conducted over 100 performances including classical, ballet, pops and educational programs, led the orchestra on tour, and his debut on the flagship Celebrity Classics Series. Several of his performances have been recorded and broadcast by the CBC, and his final subscription performances with SNS and The Barra MacNeils were recorded for commercial release in 2012. Martin worked closely with Maestro Bernhard Gueller and through his remarkable mentorship gained invaluable experience in this incredible and dynamic residency program. Born on Cape Breton Island and the youngest of twelve children, he began playing cello, violin and piano at the age of six. In addition to his intensive classical training, which included membership in the Nova Scotia and Newfoundland youth orchestras, he performed and toured Celtic music extensively with members of his family throughout Europe and North America. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Cello at Memorial University in St. John’s and his Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting at McGill University in Montréal, where he studied conducting with Maestro Alexis Hauser, assisted both the McGill Symphony Orchestra and Opera McGill, and conducted the Contemporary Music Ensemble. As a cellist, he has performed with several orchestras across Canada and was a member of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra from 1997-2004. Martin has studied conducting with Bernhard Gueller; Boris Brott; Alexis Hauser; Michael Jinbo at the Pierre Monteux School; and in masterclasses with Kenneth Kiesler, Gustav Meier, and Jorma Panula. As Associate Conductor of the National Academy Orchestra of Canada from 2006-2008, he played a key role in programming, artistic development, and coordination of its national training program. Martin was mentored closely by Maestro Brott on all repertoire and aspects of this outstanding training program, assisting and conducting on every performance. In 2008, he was one of two Canadians to be invited to the IX Cadaques Orchestra International Conducting Competition in Barcelona. The following year, he traveled to Milan to work with the Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali at the Teatro dal Verme. 2011-2012 guest engagements include his debut with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra on a program of Haydn, Liszt, and Dvorak in January 2012; the Prince George Symphony Orchestra (as a candidate for Music Director); Symphony Nova Scotia; multiple appearances with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra; the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra; and Nova Sinfonia, where he has made several return appearances. Recent engagements include the Saskatchewan Orchestral Association’s annual youth orchestra workshop, and the Scotia Chamber Players in Stravinsky’s Histoire du soldat at the Scotia Festival of Music. In 2010, He stepped in on short notice to guest conduct the Dalhousie University Symphony Orchestra, a celebrated performance which led to an invitation to conduct the orchestra again in 2011. He has worked with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in national conducting workshops. Martin MacDonald has worked with many acclaimed Canadian soloists such as Stewart Goodyear, Jens Lindemann, Lara St. John, and Jonathan Crow; and several pops and Celtic artists such as Ron Sexsmith, Owen Pallett, Basia Bulat, Jeans & Classics, Natalie MacMaster, Ashley Macisaac, John McDermott, and Cherish The Ladies. He was winner of the 2010 Jean-Marie Beaudet Award in Orchestral Conducting sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts. March 2012

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